Sand spreading apparatus



March 28, 1939. A. F H UMPHR EY SAND SPREADING APPARATUS Filed Aug.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTOR BY 7,

h -[01km S 0mm ATTORNEY March-28,1939 A F H E I 2,152,259

SAND SPREADING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTQR BY 56 h CIuMoLLL UL. ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 28," p

' UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE- 2,152,259 SAND SPREADING APPARATUS Albert F.- Humphrey, Somerville, Mass. Application August '2, 1938, Serial No. 222,650

9 Claims.

This invention relates to sand spreading apparatus. g

The invention has for an object to provide novel and improved apparatus adapted to be attached to the back-of a vehicle adapted to spread sand, or other loose or granular material, upon the ioadway in an even and eflicient manner as the vehicle proceeds along the road.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved sander of the character described, in which provision is made for detachably aflixing the sanding unit to the back of a vehicle in a novel and practical manner.

A further object of the invention is to pro.

vide a novel and improved sander of the character described, adapted to receive the material to be spread through an openingin the back of the vehicle to which it is attached and in which provision is made for maintaining the sanding unit in a substantially vertical position when the vehicle body is tipped to-cause the material t fiow into the sanding. unit. a

With these objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists structures, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiments of the invention, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the present sander as embodied in a.

vehicle in which provision is made ,for driving the sander from the transmission unit of the vehicle through a power take-off unit; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the back of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1, with the drives removed, illustrating one method of attaching the sander to the back of the vehicle chassis; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of a modified .dividual power unit and illustrating one method of detachably aflixing the sander to a vehicle body; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the modification shown in Fig. 3, with the drives removed and showing the sander in a vertical position whilethe vehicle body is tipped, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating one method of detachably affixing the sander to the chassis of the vehicle.

' In general, the present invention contemplates novel sanding apparatus adapted to be attached to the back of a vehicle such as a motor truck' andwhich is capable of distributing the sand or other loose or granular material in a-novel and efiicient manner evenly over the surface of the in the sanding apparatus and in the various form of the present sander provided with an inroadway as the truck proceeds along the road. The present sander is preferably provided with a hopper adapted to receivethe material through an opening in the back of the truck body or in the tailboard of the vehicle. Provision is made for forcibly ejectingthe material from the hopper through openings'provided inv the lower end thereof to distribute the material evenly over the entire surface of the roadway over which the vehicle is passing. In the embodiments of the in vention illustrated herein, the sander may be provided with driving mechanism formed as apart of the unit or the sander may be driven from a source of power taken from the standard transmission of a truck to which the unit is attached. The sanding unit' may be either permanently or detachably'affixed to the back of the chassis or body of the vehicle and one modification of the A invention permits the unit to maintain a substantially vertical position with relation to the roadway when the truck body is tipped to feed the material through the opening in the back of the truck. i Referring now to the drawings the preferred 1 embodiment of the invention, as herein illustrated, comprises a hopper Ill, enlarged at its in Fig 3, through which the material is forcibly ejected during the operation of the device. The

bottom 24 of the hopper is curved and, as herein shown, is provided with a plurality of openings or slots 26 through which some of the material is permitted to flow. in order to sand the roadway directly beneath the sander.

As herein shown, the material is preferably ejected from the hopper by'a paddle or impeller 28 which comprises a fiat plate extended between the front and rear walls 30, 32 of the hopper and which, is mounted to rock in a manner such that in operation, the material flowing downwardly through the hopper impinges upon the rocking impeller and is deflected outwardly through either side opening 20, 22, to be expelled from the hopper'and strewn upon the roadway. It will be observed that the curvature of the bottom 24 of the hopper preferably conforms to the radius described by the free end of the impeller when it is rocked.

Provision is made for adjusting the size of the openings 20,22 and, as herein shown, agate 84 is provided for each opening. Each gate is pivotally mounted in the sides of the hopper and is arranged to be held in its adjusted position by an adjusting screw 38 which isreceived in a slot 38 provided in a curved member 40 extending from the gate. The opening I4 in the back of the truck is provided with agate 42 which is arranged to be raised or lowered to regulate the amount of material permitted to flow into the hopper by a handle 44.

Referringnow to Figs. 1 and 2, the rocking impeller 28 may be rocked through driving mechanism which receives its power from the standard transmission unit 46 Ma motor vehicle. The impeller may be welded or otherwise secured to a shaft 48 which is mounted in bearings 50, 52 in the hopper walls 30, 32 and is given its rocking motion through a crank disk 54 which is connected by a link 56 to an arm 58 secured to the shaft 48. As herein shown, the crank disk'54 may be rotated through connections including sprocket drive 60 from a shaft 62. suitably supported beneath the vehicle and extending to the transmission unit 46. The shaft 62 is rotated through the chain and sprocket drive 64 from the standard take-.ofi unit 66 powered "from the transmission. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the sanding unit may be permanently attached tothe back of the chassis 88 of the-vehicle by supporting members 10,12 which may be riveted or bolted to the chassis and the forward wall 30 of the hopper I0. As herein shown, the driving mechanism including the crank disk 54 and the chain and sprocket drive so may be supported by a bracket 14 secured to and extending from the side of the hopper.

Referring to Fig. 3, the embodiment of the invention therein illustrated, includes an individual motor drive, comprising a gasoline engine 4 I8 which is supported upon a bracket 18 extend- -ing from one side of the hopper. The crank disk "the sandto flow into the is rotated from the belt and pulley drive 84 and the crank disk is 80,'supported in a bearing member 8| secured to a bracket 82 upon-the other side of the hopper gasoline engine through the connectedby a link 88 to an arm 88 secured to the impeller shaft 48. In the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the sanding unit is pivotally and detachably mounted to the rear of the vehicle and, as herein shown, the unit is suspended upon a rod 90 which is supported by brackets 92 attached to the back of the truck. With this construction, the sanding unit being evenly balanced, will turn upon its pivot rod 90 when the vehicle body is tipped to cause hopper, whereby the unit will'maintain a vertical position with relation to the roadway during the operation of the device. The sanding unit may readily be detached from the vehicle by simply removing the cotter pins 94 and withdrawing the pivot rod 90.

Another modification of the invention, for detachably affixing the sanding unit, as applied to the chassis of the vehicle, is illustrated in Fig. 5. As therein shown, the sanding unit is supported at its upper end by a plate 96, which is supported by brackets 98, I pivotally mounted upon a rod I02. The rod I02 is supported in brackets I04 attached to the rear of the chassis 68. The lower end of the unit, as herein shown, is supported by a secondrod I00 mounted in bearings I08, IIO secured to the underside of the chassis and adjustable links or struts I I 2, II4 extending from the rod I06 to a'short rod II 6 mounted on the a chain and.

in the operation of the device, the stream of material flowing into the hopper I0 from the opening I4 is alternately deflected in auniform stream, first to one side of the roadway and then to the other and with sufficient force to spread the sand entirely across the roadway. The openings 26 in the bottom of the hopper permit a portion of the material to be spread upon the roadway immediately beneath the sander thereby covering the entire surface of the roadway as the vehicle proceeds. The mechanism is simple and may be made rugged anddurable and tests have demonstrated the utility of the apparatus in uniformly spreading sand over the entire roadway at minimum expense. It will also be observed that the improved sanding unit maybe either individually driven through a power unit carried by the sander, or the power may be taken from the transmission unit of the motor vehicle to which the sander is attached. Furthermore, it will be observed that the sanding unit may be either permanently or detachably afllxed to the back of a vehicle, either to the chassis of the vehicle or to the truck body.

While the preferredembodiments of the invention have been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: r 1. In a device for spreading sand or other loose material upon a roadway, in combination, a hopper into which the'material to be spread is received, said hopper being provided with two opposed side openings, an impeller mounted to rock in the hopper in the path of material falling freely through said hopper, said side openings being positioned relatively to said impeller so that a part of the falling material is struck by said impeller and forcibly deflected from the hopper through said side openings alternately as the impeller is rocked, and means for rocking said impeller.

2. In a device for spreading sand or other loose granular material upon a roadway, in combination, a hopper adapted to be supported upon the back of a vehicle and into which the material to be spread is deposited, said hopper being provided with two opposed side openings, animpeller mounted to rock in the hopper in the path of material falling freely through said hopper, said side openings being positioned relatively to said hopper so that a part of the falling material is struck by said impeller and forcibly deflected from the hopper through said side openings alternately as the impeller is rocked, and means for rocking said impeller, said hopper having a bottom curved to conform to the path of the free end of said impeller, said curved bottom being positioned relatively to said impeller so that material deposited thereon will be swept therefrom by said impeller.

3. In a'device for spreading sand or other loose material upon a roadway, a hopper for receiving the sand, said hopper having a contracted lower posite sides thereof, an impeller comprising a plate mounted to rock in the hopper substantially midway between said side openings and adapted as it is rocked from one side to the other to strike the sand falling by gravity in the hopper and to forcibly deflect it outwardly through said side openings in the hopper to thereby spread the sand in uniform stream laterally over the roadway, and means for rocking the impeller.

4. In a device for spreading sand or other loose material upon a roadway, a hopper for receiving the sand, said hopper having a contracted lower portion provided with openings in .two of the opposite sides thereof, an impeller comprising a plate mounted to rock in the hopper substantially midway between said side openings and adapted as it is rocked from one side to the other to strike the sand falling by gravity in the hopper and to forcibly deflect it outwardly through said side openings in the hopper to thereby spread the sand in a uniform stream laterally over the roadway, means for rocking the impeller, and gate members adjustably mounted upon the hopper for controlling the discharge of the sand through said side openings.

5. A spreading device of the character defined in claim 1 in which gate members are adjustably therethrough to permit material to be discharged therethrough directly below said hopper.

7. A device for spreading loose granular material upon a surface comprising, a hopper adapted to receive freely falling material, said hopper being provided with an arcuate bottom .and having openings in opposed sides thereof extending upwardly from said arcuate bottom, ashaft extending across said hopper in a horizontal plane substantially common to that of the upper ends of said side openings, an impeller plate secured to said shaft, and means for oscillating said shaft to move the free end of said impeller plate through an arc of a length substantially corresponding to that defining the hopper bottom, whereby said impeller plate can forcibly deflect said freely falling material through'said side openings, and also forcibly eject material which has come to rest on said hopper bottom.

8. In combination a vehicle having a body provided with an adjustable opening in the back thereof through which material may, flow by gravity; 9. pair of brackets for supporting a sand spreader secured to saidbody; and a sandspreading unit, said sand spreading unit having a hopper positioned between said brackets, a bar extending through said hopper and brackets for pivotally supporting said hopper relatively to said body, said hopper being located so that material flowing from said adjustable opening in said vehicle will fall bygravity into said hopper, said hopper being provided with openings in its sides at the lower end thereof, an impeller blade rockably mounted at the lower end of said hopper in the path of the material falling through said hopper, said side openings being positioned relatively to said impeller so that apart of the falling material is struck by said impeller and forcibly deflected from the hopper through said side openings alternately as the impeller is rocked, and driving means including a motor carried by said sand spreading unit for rocking said impeller blade. l a

9. In combination, a vehicle having a body provided with anopening through which sand may flow by gravity; means for adjusting the rate of flow of sand through said openin a sand- 7 spreading unit; and means pivotally suspending said sand spreading unit on said vehicle so that it hangs vertically, said sand spreading unit having a hopper positioned to receive said sand as it discharges from said adjustable opening, said hopper being provided with openings in its sides at the lower end thereof, an oscillatable shaft extending through said hopper, an impeller blade secured to said shaft and positioned at the lower end of said hopper so as to forcibly deflect falling sand through said side openings upon oscillation thereof, and driving means for oscillating said shaft and impeller blade.

ALBERT F. HUMPHREY.

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